How the royal family tackle the ‘latest’ fashion trends

Olivia Lidbury

With the best designers and couturiers to hand, the royal family are no strangers to wearing the latest fashion trends. Revisit some iconic best-dressed moments below, and in person at the exhibition Fashion Rules: Restyled.

Princess Margaret: avid follower of fashion in the Fifties

It’s 1953, Princess Margaret is 23 years old and out for a night at the theatre looking dazzling in a pink, prom-style dress with a dramatic black silk overlay, tiny waist and most daring of all – a strapless neckline.

Such style statements were typical of the Queen’s younger sister during the Fifties. She enjoyed greater freedom to experiment with up-to-the-minute fashions. Indeed, when she was just 19, she was already patronising French fashion houses such as Christian Dior and Jean Dessès, as well as home-grown names such as Norman Hartnell.

Princess Margaret sees 'Guys and Dolls' at the London Coliseum in a dress designed by Norman HartnellCredit:
Alamy Stock

Quite the trendsetter, she was quick to adopt the post-war silhouette of nipped-in waists that was trailblazed by Mr Dior in 1947 and dubbed the New Look. The princess’s outfits became known as The Margaret Look and every detail of her attire would be pored over by the press, from her oversized sunglasses, to her designer silk scarves and fur jackets.

Her appetite for new trends is evident in the Fashion Rules: Restyled exhibition, as the dresses on display, such as a silk chiffon Dior cocktail dress and a full-skirted, stripy design by Hartnell are playful and less formal than her sovereign sister’s – and topped off with a dash of rebellious irreverence.

HM the Queen: a thoughtful dresser in the Sixties and Seventies

The Queen has spent her 64-year-reign navigating both the codes of dress imposed upon her as a monarch, and those dictated to her by setting and local cultures. As the most widely-travelled monarch in history, she has balanced both effortlessly.

This is demonstrated in the Fashion Rules: Restyled exhibition, where a vibrant, coral-coloured kaftan-style dress adorned with gold embroidery shows how Her Majesty adapted to the draped silhouettes of the Sixties and Seventies and how this nodded to the style of dress in the Middle East, where she was visiting.

Queen Elizabeth II wears a kaftan-style dress designed by Hardy Amies during a tour of the Gulf States, 1979Credit:
Getty

With a handful of British couturiers at her side: Ian Thomas, Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell, the Queen was well-equipped for looking extra-special during her travels and engagements. But she would not have adopted the trends of the time down to the letter: it is not the monarch’s duty to be a trendsetter. There should be no mistaking who the royal in the room is at an official engagement, thus her outfit must be impactful and set her apart from the rest – borne out by the bright colour-blocked outfits for which she is famous.

Princess Diana: trend trailblazer in the Nineties

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, took the style nuances of the Nineties and tweaked them to create her own unique, signature look. Subsequently, the rest of the world hungrily took note and she was elevated to trendsetter status.

Diana, Princess of Wales wears a dress designed by Catherine WalkerCredit:
Getty

The princess and her most trusted dressmaker, Catherine Walker, favoured the asymmetric necklines and metallic embellishments that were popular in the Nineties. An example of this is a navy blue, one-shoulder column dress by Walker adorned with gold braiding. Streamlined and sophisticated, it was power dressing at its minimalistic best. Another of Diana’s one-sleeve dresses – in ivory crepe and pink – which she wore in Brazil, is also on display in the exhibition.

Together, Walker and Diana created looks that married the masculine tailoring of the decade with just the right amount of softness and sensuality. The double-breasted, green velvet halterneck evening dress which the princess wore to pose in for Mario Testino, effortlessly revealed the curve of her shoulders. Stars at the time, such as supermodel Cindy Crawford and singer Madonna, tapped into this trend, but never with such grace or spontaneity as Diana.